Naruto: Ni Shourai
by GrandLordAtos
Summary: AU The homeland of the shinobi has been ravaged by Akatsuki, and their armies of traitors and converts. Though the five great villages have cast aside their differences to battle this foe, will it be enough to liberate their lands?
1. Prologue: A Losing Age

**_~ A losing age is a time when there doesn't seem to be any light at the end of the tunnel. From beginning to end, countless lives are lost to war, countless more are lost to despair. It is fate's test of tenacity - should we be meant to pass, we will never fall._**

**_- Jiraiya_**

* * *

Why should it have been any surprise? The air was heavy with the scent of blood and gore, just as he had predicted. The earth beneath them was soft with the heavy rainfall - a factor that had dampened their chances of success, just as he feared. The catastrophic events that had unfolded on this losing battlefield not only cost the lives of many brave individuals, but would mean several more months of setbacks while their enemy drove them back - his foresight having seen this as well.

Why did he go through with the plan, in spite of the odds? Why did he lie to the faces of the men and women - who swore upon blood to liberate the shinobi world - and tell them victory was possible? Hope had abandoned them, and now the mistake glared at the young tactical commander. Somehow, this was one outcome he never saw coming, despite the odds.

Shikamaru walked silently and slowly, appalled - distraught by the sights of the fallen, down the misty shale surfaces of the Arashi Basin. Everywhere he looked, he could barely make out the faces of the shinobi he had led confidently into battle, all of whom he let down. The injured sat upright, trying to treat their own wounds wherever a medical nin was nowhere nearby. Some sat nearby the corpses of the dead. Brave souls who had entrusted their lives and success to an eighteen year old leader. Brave, but also foolish, Shikamaru thought to himself crushingly.

His father had been right about him. He wasn't ready to lead an offensive. Even though this attack had been a minor success, Akatsuki's armies would soon be on the rebound. Worse than the number decrease they had suffered, they would all die if he didn't order a retreat soon. So many were lost, and it was all because he overlooked details of the battleground. The weather...he should have brought more users of the Suiton element. The fallen...more medical nin should have come along. The dormant land mines...several trap experts would have been a must. All were calculations he failed to mention, all because he feared dampening the faith they had in his leadership. He had never cared what people thought of him before, so why did he start then?

Trying to spot the headbands of the injured and fallen, he saw few who were from Konoha. Most of them were the Iwa nin. A few were Kumo. Bloodstained headbands, all the same - few were distinguishable from one another while drowned in their owners blood. He spotted out of the corner of his eye a Cloud nin female holding the corpse of a Sand nin close to her, crying as silently as she could. He recognized them from the rally the morn prior. They were engaged to be married after the war was over, as he recalled talking to them - their confidence in his leadership being subject of discussion. Now, such dreams would never happen, and the war would only continue. Akatsuki had become too powerful, and his judgment tainted Hakumei's forces.

A group of survivors, maybe five of them, had gathered around a young man. He couldn't have been more than twenty at the most, Shikamaru thought. A large gash was punctured in his skull from the looks of it, with the others covering his body slowly with a blanket, giving their final farewells.

A woman nearby was being held onto tightly by two others, trying to prevent her from getting away. By their feet was a boy, probably eleven, and among the few the Hakumei army allowed into the front lines. The woman was shouting out insanities, yelling for the others to let her go so she could find the enemy and kill them herself, just like they did to her little brother. Before Shikamaru even passed them up, he saw the woman stop her struggle so she could break down and cry, cursing the Akatsuki with every gasp of air she took in her despair.

Teens, elderly, and even some gifted children all formed the masses that remained in sight, even as the misty veil went on. How could a single army do so terribly against another? How could their dwindling numbers keep up with the enemy? Was it possible to undo six years of endless loss? As rain began to gently trickle on top of his head, Shikamaru looked up to the sky. Almost black clouds, moving fast across the heavens. The rain had come at the wrong time, as always in this losing age.

It was all his fault, he kept telling himself. He made the calculations. He formed the offensive with perfection, failing to overlook any detail. His faith in his variables, however...He had been on such a winning streak until now. Hakumei's forces were defeating Akatsuki's with ease, until today. If he hadn't treated the battlefield like such a game, perhaps he would have thought of a back up plan. Maybe a retreat plan even. Anything would have been so much better than this. He wanted to say he was sorry to everyone. He wanted to, but knew not only could he not, but they would never accept it. He didn't care about being a captain anymore. He just wanted to undo this mistake.

As he walked across the basin and approached the riverfront, there came a sinking feeling in his heart. Many of the few Jonin on this battle he had already seen. However...two were missing. And what he heard after this realization made his heart skip two beats, and sink to the bottom of his chest.

**"Hey, these Jonin are in the red zone! Help me stop them from going under!" **Reluctantly, he turned his head, watching three medical nin rush over to the side of two bloodied up bodies. Shurikens and kunai that had been removed from them lay in piles at their sides, as did two familiar dog tags. A red one, and a purple one. Looking at his own regular colored dog tag, he remembered that in the entire army, only one person had the idea of coloring her and her friends tags. And only one of her friends had allowed it. Those two were...

**"I-Ino...Chouji..."** It was as though his legs had lost the will to move forward. He didn't want to see it, he didn't want to be right. Not this time. Not ever again if it would make whatever came next less painful. One of the medical nin noticed Shikamaru, and gave him a look of both anguish and fear.

**"Shikamaru."** the nin said respectfully towards his commander. **"These two...I know they are friends of yours...I don't know how much we can do for them."**

He suddenly found the urge, though hated it with every fiber of his being, to budge. As he closed in on the last few feet of distance between him and one of the most horrible sights he would ever see in his life, an echo of thunder built up in the sky, and the rain began to pick up, becoming heavier every second that passed. As his eyes laid sight upon the blood caked faces of his best friends, the rain pounded ten times harder upon his head, and a bolt of lightning illuminated the entire basin, and the faces of his comrades..

**"H-hey there, Shikamaru." **Chouji said, forcing his low, raspy voice to work right, but to no avail. **"Me and Ino...didn't see the trap c-coming...Sorry to let you down."**

Shikamaru fell to his knees, fighting back tears with all of his might and holding his hands over his face as if he was trying to claw it off. **"N-no. You guys...I'm so sorry...It's all my fault this happened! If I didn't lead this battle..."**

Ino raised a finger to her lips weakly to hush him, momentarily forcing a smile, despite the pain she was in. She spoke low, with Shikamaru barely able to hear her. **"Hey...everyone makes...mistakes...right? Even someone...smart. Like you...Besides...you did great. Anyone else would have failed...Don't...let it get to you. We beat them today...that's all that matters, right?"**

Was that all that mattered? Perhaps to those who were dying, who wanted a reason for their deaths not to be in vain. But to the living, it had come at too steep of a price. Far too steep to be real. **"Guys...please." **Shikamaru begged. **"Too many people have lost their lives today! I don't want you to be a part of that group! Please! I need you both!" **He had let a build up of tears escape, and didn't even try this time to hide it. His voice, clenched by sorrow, sounded almost like he too was dying.

Then, Chouji's arm began to move. Lifting it off the ground slowly, he held his hand in the formation of a thumbs up, and closed one of his eyes. **"Kick Akatsuki's ass...Shika..."** The last word, Shikamaru's very name, came out as a loose tone, almost as if he was letting it go. Then, almost at the same time, his arm fell to the ground, the thumbs up still formed.

**"Chouji? CHOUJI?" **His face bolted over to his other friend, whose eyes were lifelessly opened. **"INO! Guys, please! Stay alive!" **Looking at the medical nin, he shot them a frantically worried face, and they immediately began to channel their chakra into their palms, which then turned yellow and became slightly electrified.

**"Keep their hearts beating! Come on, we can't work on the dead!" **shouted the lead medic to the others. Charging the yellow healing chakra, they forced their palms rapidly into the chests of Shikamaru's friends, to attempt CPR upon them. A loud zapping noise was heard, and Shika saw their bodies jump a tiny bit. The medical nin then pressed their ears to Ino and Chouji's chests, trying to listen for any sign of a heartbeat. It happened again, and again, until they had performed the procedure six times. Then, the lead medic looked at the others, who refused to look back at him, and he gave Shikamaru an expression that would come to haunt him as the one face he never wanted to see again, all the while stating the words he never wanted to hear again. **"We lost them."**

* * *

**"INO! CHOUJI!"** Shikamaru bolted upright in his bed, panting as though he had just ran a marathon. His face was reddened from the shock of the nightmare he had just endured. A nightmare, but of something that had really happened.

Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he moved his hair out of his eyes, towards the back of his head. Behind his ears, and out of his way. Taking a moment to adjust, he looked around his room. Dark and quiet, same as always. Laying his head back into his pillow, he glanced over at the single light coming from his red-numbered digital clock. Three in the morning.

Ever since that tragic day, a mere four months prior, he hadn't gotten a good night's sleep, hauntings of his biggest mistake forcing him into the realm of consciousness unwillingly. How he longed for the days when he was a kid, when his only care was if there were enough clouds in the sky, and he slept endlessly under the shade of the Hidden Lead village's trees How cruel reality was to the lazy young man - those days would probably never come again. As long as the homelands of Shinobi were the domicile of the traitors and rogues that comprised Akatsuki's vast armies.

Unable to close his eyes anymore, Shikamaru lazily pulled the covers off of him and hopped out of bed. Walking over to the lone tiny window in the room, he wondered if anyone would be in the streets at this hour. People watching - his latest past time, and the only thing to take his mind off of his worries. After all, it was difficult to find clouds in a village that was built inside of a vast mountain cavern.

Staring out the small glass window, he yawned at the predictable sights on the street below. Nothingness. Just perfect. Right when he needed a crowd of passersbys most. There wasn't even anyone rushing through to deliver messages to the leading nin in the dome-like building next door, the very heart of the shinobi world nowadays. Such a waste of a street crafted with such delicate detail by the Doton users of Hakumei, one of the many shinobi gifts to the common folk who sheltered with them in their time of need.

His thoughts began to wander, with no medium to channel his frustration. He began to reflect on that battle in the Arashi Basin. The armies of Akatsuki gained most of their resources from that place, and many of there numbers resided there too. It was such a critical attack, and could have won them the war upon Sunogakure's overthrown land. But his mistake cost them such a luxury. Had he gone on with the offensive like Ino and Chouji wanted him to, would things be different now? Would Arashi Basin still have been under Hakumei's control? Or would there just be even more deaths due to his failure as a leader?

He prided himself on his ability to lead long ago. Being both a jonin and one of the main tactics commanders in the war against Akatsuki, perhaps he became full of himself somewhere along the line. Perhaps he saw too many similarities between Shogi and war, and began to think of everything as just a game. But games were supposed to be enjoyable, pawns to be sacrificed without regret, victories and losses at low cost to all. True war was nothing like Shogi, and his friends were far from pawns.

His decision that day to pull out was seen as cowardly by many Hakumei shinobi. Soon, he had given up being a member of the offensive at all, and requested to the Council of Five to resign. Though they allowed it, where did it lead him? Being part of the guards of this subterranean village may have allowed him more time for sleeping, but what was sleep when you couldn't get to it?

It was so troublesome. Sometimes, he longed for the better times, going outside of his comfort zone of "ignorance is bliss" and thinking about what life would be like if all this had never happened. Things would undoubtedly be better. Konoha would still have been their home, as it had been for him and his clan for generations. All the refugees and nin from the foreign nations wouldn't have to huddle in such a crowded space for security and hope, making things far less noisy. The work load would be less about what had to be done, and more about how much you get paid. Ino and Chouji would still be alive. And so would Naruto, probably.

He would never admit it, but Shikamaru really did miss the kid. Though he was annoying, he was company, and that was enough for him. He always did wonder what happened to the boy. He was told that Naruto had something to do with Akatsuki's goals, but that was before they attacked. He never heard, nor ever asked about the subject again. Maybe he just didn't want to know, so he could have the tiniest shred of hope that an old friend may still be alive. Still, he hadn't seen the brat for six years. Maybe if he was still alive, he'd end up regretting that hope. Then again, he would kill for a face from the good old days at this point.

Knock Knock Knock! **"A visitor after midnight? What a bother..." **Turning towards the door, he wondered who could be knocking. Maybe it was just his 'neighbor', coming to complain again. He looked down at himself. Blue boxers and a white tank top. What a way to present one's self to a guest. Like he really cared, anyway.

Walking over to the door, he kicked his shoes out of the way, having improperly left them out due to his lack of concern. Who needed to worry about putting away their footwear anyway? The wooden door opened with a creak, and no surprise to Shikamaru, it was Kankuro, the jonin whose room was right next to his.

**"Hey. Shikamaru."** The slightly bulky teen said in a tired voice, almost yawning and scratching his bed-head. **"It's like... I dunno, really early in the morning. What the hell were you yelling about just now?"**

Was he sleep talking now? Shikamaru turned away the slightest bit, not exactly eager to answer this one directly. His problems were his own trouble, and no one elses. **"Nothing." **he lied.

Kankuro opened his mouth wide, and covered it with his hand as he let out a big yawn. **"Well... keep it down then. I'm leaving on a mission tomorrow, and I really need some sleep, alright?"**

Shikamaru could only nod at the former Suno nin, and assured him he wouldn't be making any more noise. Not like he could help it. Watching the jonin drag his feet lazily over to his own room, Shikamaru closed his door quietly and walked over to his bed. "**Such a pain, having that guy living next to me."** he thought to himself, crawling back into bed. **"He always complains about one thing or another. Just like his sister." **He glanced over at the clock one more time, hoping some of it had passed.

The closer the days got toward being over, the closer Akatsuki was towards their ultimate defeat. At least, that's what he kept telling himself whenever things looked bleak. News arriving as of late was less than encouraging after all. The only way he could try keeping himself from worrying about it was to think like that. And worrying about the war was the last thing he wanted to involve himself with these days. It didn't concern him anymore. He wasn't a commander, or anyone within the ranks. It was someone else's problem now.

Closing his eyes, he tried to drift off into slumber, but to no avail.

* * *

**Author's Notes: **

Welcome to the world of Ni Shourai - where the future looks bleak, and the world of Naruto as you know it means little. Taking from the premise, the story centers around the world six years after Itachi and Kisame attempted to kidnap Naruto. The twist? They succeeded, obviously.

Many things aren't what they used to be. The hidden villages, once havens to their respective citizens, are now clustered with Akatsuki, and their armies of traitors and converts. The only safezone for anyone who wishes to escape the rule of the Warlords is upon the isle of Arashi, an uncharted land off the coast of the Wind Country that serves as the last bastian of shinobi power in the world.

The premise to the series spawned from another AU fanfiction idea I was writing up at the time - a rather unrelated one at that, involving an alternate universe scenario where the cast of the Naruto universe were in a medival adventure to save Europe from the greedy coils of King Orochi the 8th, and thwart a plot to nullify armistance pacts between England and France, and epic battles in a castle dungeon, chandelier cutting, Gaara as an Irish prince, the Akatsuki Pirates...

Ahem, I'll stop there. Lack of research into that plot aside, I came up with this one soon after. The idea seemed to flow a lot better, and offered a different look on the original series themes as well. Without the main character, Naruto, how would the cast have managed in an all out war against a foe that they seem to have no hope against? How would the characters develop and adapt to this darker age, where the fight for survival is critical?

Just to let you all know, though Shikamaru is overall the 'main character' of Ni Shourai, his role is more that of an anchor to keep the storyline in place. While his development is built upon most of all, the various comrades he will be accompanied by are equally focused on as much as possible, resulting in an overall feel that should match the original series's goals.

I hope you all enjoy this story, and please feel free to offer as much feedback as you can. And nice comments if you have any - I love nice comments 3. Just note that some characters are bound to have personality alterations due to the course of history going on in the story - some may be less lovable than their counterparts, or more interesting, depending on how you see things.

I plan to update every other week on Friday until I have more chapters completed ahead of schedule. Remember to bug and pester me for the next chapter - it helps remind this silly writer what he was doing.

**~ See you July 16th!  
Grand Lord Atos**


	2. Chapter One: When Hope Stood Still

_The will of fire is a philosophy you're not really supposed to get right away. The burning desire to keep going, no matter what the trials are...when you think about it as an adult, it seems like something you should have known all along.  
_- **_Sarutobi Asuma  
_**

What had led to this catastrophic series of events? The more Shikamaru thought about it, the more he simply wanted to toss the thought away. Nothing would have stopped him from doing that a few years back. Still, something compelled him about that question. Shikamaru spent some of his mornings and evenings pondering about the past, and even more about the future.

Five...no, six years. Shortly after the death of the Third Hokage was the easiest way he could anchor his roaming mind in this matter. As he sat down at his table in the tiny kitchen, eating some leftover rice he didn't even bother to heat up, he thought back to the Chuunin exams. The combination attack on Konoha from the Sound and Sand Villages had destroyed many of Konoha's great defenders, including their beloved leader.

Was that just it though? Was that the reason Akatsuki got such a powerful head start on their global domination schemes? No...that couldn't be the only thing. Perhaps it was something entirely unexpected that was tied to the other two ordeals he remembered being close to that time. Naruto, who had gone missing, and the inauguration of the new Hokage, Jiraiya. It seemed circumstantial almost, as even he was aware of the Senin's travel plans with the loudmouthed child. Moving his half-full rice bowl away from him, he laid his arms and head on the table, sighing heavily. There just weren't enough facts there for him to think about it. There was only the things that the Hokage had said to the masses shortly after.

He remembered Jiraiya's village wide announcement on the day of his inauguration. 'Konoha, I cannot lie to you. Dark clouds loom ahead of us, and we must be prepared to defend this village again!'. Such heroism from a man whom he had already assumed to be a clown. The perverted sage had eventually lived up to the title of Hokage, for certain, but he always seemed so depressed. As though things were missing from his life, or as though he was dreading something. Maybe it was a bit of both.

The fact remained, however. He knew something bad would happen. It's probably why he had such a successful evacuation planned out for that fateful day. If ever heaven would have seen a more appropriate day to rain fire upon the world, it would have been the true end of all life. The cataclysmic scale destruction. The abductions, the murder in the streets. Pillaging and apocalypse all wrapped into one large scale assault that resulted in the death of hundreds, and pruned the Konoha population by a whole digit. Platoons of shinobi garbed in black cloaks, with angry red clouds painted across them - he'd never forget the symbol of death Akatsuki's band of traitors and rogues wore.

Shikamaru shuddered for a moment and changed his train of thought. His eyes peered over to the digital clock on his nightstand. Eleven thirty seven. He should have reported to the post a little more than half an hour ago to take over for Asuma's shift. His former teacher wasn't going to like his tardiness even the slightest, but why bother rushing? Still, he couldn't stand around in his boxers all day, regardless of how much he wanted to just go back to sleep. Yawning one last time, he got out of his chair and dragged himself over to his bedside, grabbing a band and pulling his hair back, wrapping the object around his hair to form a ponytail. A few slivers of hair slipped out of the knot and hovered above his forehead. Looking at the strands of hair almost getting in his eyes, he let out a deep sigh. He would probably have to get his hair cut soon. He never did like having it this long - it was always too troublesome to manage.

Without turning his head, he reached for something on his night stand. Feeling around for whatever it was, his eyes widened when it wasn't there, and he jumped from his bed in a haste, looking frantically around the nightstand. _"_**Crap! I could have sworn they were right he-".**A tiny metallic clicking noise sounded beneath his chin, and the teen looked down to see Chouji and Ino's dog tags hanging from his neck, right next to his own. His breathing calmed, and he held the tags in his hand, sighing in relief. **"Well there I go again. This is what happens when you stress over stuff, Shikamaru.." **he told himself silently. He had forgotten that when he failed to sleep again the night before, he latched the dog tags on to his own, thinking it might help him sleep a little better. Not a cure for his insomnia, that's for certain, but it seemed to calm his mind a little. Perhaps deep down, he felt it was like he still had Ino and Chouji by his side, just like in the good old days.

Running his thumb over the smooth metal surface of his friend's names, he faced the door, hoping he was ready for whatever trouble the day had to throw at him.

* * *

The deep-ground streets of Hakumei Village lit up with the hustle and bustle of its eager civilians, commuting near the village center and picking up their daily resources. Upon the heads of the refugees, the watchful gaze of the guards set, as it had been since the night before. Among the many attentive eyes was that of Sarutobi Asuma, tapping his finger upon the tower rim impatiently.

**"Why am I even surprised any more at that bum's tardiness?" **he muttered, an irritated tic in his tone. Moving his hand over to the breast pocket on his flak jacket, he pulled out a cigarette and his lighter. As the smoke from his cig plumed and spread over the wooden ceiling of the watch tower, Asuma broke his fixed gaze for a brief moment to think to himself. **"The guy would hold even death himself up. Guess I can't blame him though."** Asuma inhaled again, letting the nicotine fill his lungs.

He was becoming more and more aware of the degrading effects smoking was having on his lungs every day, but at this point, he didn't seem to care much. In this day and age, you could die eating a bowl of ramen, even if his chances of running into an enemy as a watchman were slim to none. It irked him sometimes that he couldn't be on the battle front, ridding the world of the traitors and blood foes of the shinobi world. But his job was also important. He and over eighty seven other jonin from the surviving villages were all that stood between the survivors of the great upheaval, and a life of enslavement to the crushing ideals of Akatsuki.

It was almost a painful sight to remember. Konoha's citizens traveling by foot from their rightful homeland, wandering the Land of Fire in several caravan clusters. Surviving purely off the land, unable to treat sicknesses freely due to the lack of medical resource. Those days were especially hard on Kurenai, who had been with child at the time. He recalled how hard he had to work on both protecting the caravan of Konoha's survivors as well as catering to her needs. All in a days work in those days, he supposed.

The other villages were more or less in the same sorry state back then. The only problem with this was Konoha's hostilities had remained with other villages, who felt intimidated still by their forces. Minor skirmishes would often occur between himself and nin from the other villages, and at those times, Asuma had to wonder if the fighting would ever end. If not for the chance meeting between Jiraiya and the former right hand to the late Tsuchikage, negotiations would have probably never happened, and by now they'd likely have fallen. But Asuma believed it was that meeting that sparked something in the Hokage, for it was soon after that the five great villages at last united under a single banner. Hakumei. The survivors. Last blood of ninja. Without this union, Konoha's remaining citizens and shinobi alike would have been hunted down and decimated by now. The Sand, Mist, Rock, Cloud, and Leaf. All with their former differences, they cast them aside to ensure their survival, and roosted on Arashi Isle, an uncharted island off the coast of the Land of Wind.

Thanks to this union, he knew his wife and son were safer than they would have been before, and life at last had a chance again. Despite constant tensions between former village rivals, prejudices that seemed to still live even now, he never had any problem with sharing a shelter with the other villages, and watched all who were below the tower as though they were all part of Konoha. This cavernous village, illuminated deep beneath the island, was his home now - even if it was a bit rough.

His eyes narrowing a bit, he cracked a smirk, almost dropping his cigarette from his mouth. **"'bout time." **In the crowd below - hardly in a hurry - Shikamaru walked steadily towards the watchtower, head hung low and donning his trademark 'blank' expression. Stopping at the tower's base, the shirker looked up and rubbed his shoulder, leaping several yards up and kicking off of a support beam. Landing at a perfect balance on top of the tower's outlook, the black haired teen let out a loud yawn, not even bothering to cover his mouth. **"Yo." **he said lazily.

Asuma scoffed. **"Yo yourself, bum. Fifty minutes late? I think you just set a new record for yourself." **Shikamaru said nothing and hopped inside the box, leaning against one of the support beams. He was apparently trying to go back to sleep, as he was nodding off even while standing. Asuma still couldn't believe that this teen was really the person who won them the Fuhaku Shore victory months ago. He thought Shikamaru's time as a tactical leader would change him for the better, maybe mold out his lazy qualities. But here he was, the same as always.

As nostalgic as it was to see him not having changed a bit, it was hurtful more than helpful. A sinister thought in mind, Asuma took his cigarette out of his mouth, and waved it under Shikamaru's nose as he began to snore. The result almost made the bearded man burst out in laughter - Shikamaru nearly snorted the ashes of the cig, and began to cough uncontrollably. **"Maybe that'll teach you to sleep while someone's talking to you."** his teacher scolded once the boy had stopped his uproar. **"Seriously, what's wrong with you these days? You're not on the front lines anymore, sure, but you just can't be sleeping all the time like this."**

Shikamaru shot him a glare and turned away, leaning against the beam once more. **"You haven't been mine or anyone else's teacher for years, Asuma. You don't have to act like it anymore - just lay off." **

Asuma sighed and dropped his cigarette on the ground, rubbing it out with his foot. He then mimicked Shika's position, leaning against the support beam opposite to his and folding his arms. **"I'm not acting like your teacher right now, Shikamaru." **he said with a tone of disdain for the boy's behavior quite present. **"I'm telling you this as a comrade. You're not fighting out there, but you still have to pay attention to the village when you're on patrol duties. This is our last line of defense. Our last hope. We can't afford even the smallest variable - like an intruder or even a thief - go on the rise."**

The teen shrugged. **"Like they're going to find us anytime soon anyway. The way we've been progressing in the war, it seems like both us and Akatsuki are going to be at it forever. You ask me, hope's at a standstill, so there's not much of a reason to worry about it. It'll only make us die out from stress if we think about it." **

Asuma looked down towards the streets again, noting a little boy chasing his sister through the sea of people, and laughed. **"You're wrong, Shikamaru. Hope grows stronger each and every day. We just need to find the one thing that puts it in motion. Then you'll see."** Shikamaru decided to change the subject entirely, since it was obvious Asuma was neither going to speak straightforward about what he meant, leave, or allow him to sleep.

**"So Kankuro's going on another mission tomorrow. Where is he off to this time, you have any idea?" **he asked his former teacher, half interested.

Asuma looked up at the ceiling. **"Oh, him? I think I heard he's joining the thirteenth platoon. They're going on a scouting mission alongside the tenth into the Suno Desert, and after that, they're gonna help set our next big assault into motion." **

Seemed like a good choice to him. Send a desert marmot with a squad into the desert. Still, it also seemed a little dangerous sending ANYONE that close to the ruins of the Sand village. After all, that's where Akatsuki's main headquarters was in the Land of Wind - and possibly their largest concentration of ninja other than the Land of Fire. There wasn't telling just how many things could go wrong.

**"Shikamaru? Hey, wake up!" **Asuma's booming voice prompted the young man to look up, breaking his train of thought.

**"Sorry, I was just thinking about something." **Yeah. Something that wasn't any of his concern any longer. Why should he care about the missions Hakumei was sending people on anymore? It wasn't like he had a say in it.

A frown played itself across Asuma's face, and he shook his head. **"I may not be able to beat you in Shogi, kid, but I can still read you like a book. You're worried about the platoons going into the desert, aren't you?" **Was that it? Kankuro was nothing more than a neighbor. The guy who lived in the domicile next to his, nothing more. Or was it just the general feeling of dread that something would indeed happen, something that he could have predicted...nah, that couldn't be it. Still, he was compelled to find out who else was on the two teams that would walk right into a death trap.

**"I'm going to just assume Kankuro isn't going alone. Who are his teammates, Asuma?"** he asked bluntly, pulling out the dog tags of his fallen friends and staring at them blankly - a habit of his for whenever he was worried. Asuma seemingly paused for a moment, as if he was considering just leaving without an answer. "**Well, Chouza for one. And your father is going as well." **

Shikamaru's grip on the dog tags tightened. Was his father really foolish enough to go on such a suicidal mission into thick enemy territory? **"Don't worry too much about him." **Asuma said reassuringly, obviously aware Shikamaru was upset by this news. **"As smart as you are, I know your father really well, too. Shikaku isn't the type of man to get himself killed on a mission like this." **

Shikamaru knew him well too. He was the man's son after all. By far, he was the only person he had ever played in Shogi that ever managed to beat him. Smart was the only word to describe him. But intelligence didn't prevent Shikamaru from making a costly error. Smarts were nothing if you lacked a grasp of reality, and his father was one of the biggest dreamers he had ever known. Head more stuck in the clouds with optimistic thoughts of a quiet and peaceful world than down on the ground with the real world. Such thoughts only brought Shikamaru down, thus why he chose to screw it and look reality in the eye - boring and annoying as it was. And the reality of this situation was obvious. His father would soon embark on a journey that would almost definitely be his end.

What would the teen's mother think? He was reminded at that instant - he hadn't visited them in almost a month, despite living in the homes that were only a level down from his own. Maybe he'd need to visit them after his shift.

Asuma perched himself up on the ledge, and gave one last look at his former student. **"Shikamaru,we all need to do what we can where we are needed. Your father is needed on this scouting mission, just as I am needed as a guard and by Kurenai and Kouga. But you are one of the people who has the potential to be needed by everyone. This guard post just doesn't seem right for you, kid. It's been a long time since that battle, so maybe it's time you looked into aiding our war efforts as a tactician again. Think about it, please." **Before the teen could respond, Asuma leapt down to the roof nearest the tower in a blur, and began to walk away on top of the house, hands in his jacket pockets.

Aiding the war efforts, huh? Shikamaru could only see himself screwing up again, and worrying about it wasn't going to help at all. This was his job now. The most useless one in the Hakumei war effort. But it was also the hardest to screw up. As long as Arashi Island remained unseen by the enemy, there wouldn't be a need for guards. Now alone, Shikamaru leaned his head against the beam, trying to catch up on the rest he had lost to his nightmares, his mind flooded with questions about himself now. Did he really care about what was going on? Was there really more he could do to help end this war? And of course, the major question that was at the tip of everyone's tongue; how did it come to this?

As Shikamaru drifted off watching the people below, his eyes fell once more upon Ino and Chouji's dog tags - his uncertainties swelling into nightmares once more.

~ End Chapter

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**Authors Notes: **Hey everyone! I decided to try this other format thingy out, so if anything is strange, please let me know 3

Chapter one was, as any chapter one should be, an introduction. I know, I know, "what about the prologue?". Be patient - the action is coming soon.

Well, that was for my impatient fans. Not sure how many...fans I have now anyway. :\ Not that I do this to get fans, but with a few faves, buncha views, and few reviews, I'm callin' people out! D: IF YOU LIKE THE STORY, TELL ME THAT IT ROCKS YOUR SOCKS! ...nah, I'm kidding about all this. :P While I appreciate people saying 'I like it' and things like that, what I LOVE are nice, long, well thought out reviews that also tell me I sucked at grammar and spelling. xP I like critique, so if you have any, send it my way.

See you all in two weeks! R&R!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto or any characters mentioned in this fanfic. I DO, however, own this coffee mug with a picture of a lamb on it that's saying "Ewe's not fat, ewe's just fluffy". It's my favorite.


	3. Chapter Two: Bitter Departure

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_Seems the more we fight, the worse off we are. Sometimes, I think to myself we should just surrender, let the weight of this war off of our shoulders. But then I remember - fighting is what I was raised to do. It's all I really know, and as long as our leaders will it, I will fight. Can't say I'll enjoy it though..._

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_~ Kankuro_

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As soon as his shift had ended later that night, Shikamaru decided to stay true to his thoughts for once, and wandered down the lamp illuminated ledge-road of Hakumei Village, hands stuffed in his pockets and head faced to the rocky ground. He kind of missed the dirt paved roads of Konoha every time he had to endure walking on the village's stone carved road. If his parent's home was more than just a few levels down from where he was stationed at, he might have just gone home.

Looking out over the chain railing, he peered down at the large field on the ground floor. There, he could see the harvesters hard at work with the herbs and crops that were needed to sustain the civilians and the war effort alike. He couldn't help but smile when he remembered Sakura was the one who thought of the idea to use the cell growth stimulation from medical ninjutsu to rapidly increase the growth rate of plants in the field. Clever girl. All that time aiding the medical ward must have done some good for her.

Images of the Chunin exams etched their way to the surface of Shikamaru's mind, turbulent flashbacks of Sakura's fight against Ino racing across his eyes. He stopped and rubbed his temple momentarily, regaining control over his thoughts. If he started thinking about the good old days right now, he'd probably walk right off the railing. With a potential three hundred foot drop to the bottom, it wasn't exactly a fall he saw himself surviving.

Why did they build the village beneath a mountain anyway? Sure, it was hidden, but so was the island they were on. It's not like Akatsuki was going to miraculously find one of the few documents containing the whereabouts of the island in the Sand Village, especially seeing as the place was reduced to rubble. It was one of the few things about this place that actually bothered him, though, and even then it wasn't enough to complain about.

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They did also have an interesting set up that he was rather impressed with. Looking up, he spotted his destination ahead. Four masked shinobi, resembling Konoha's former ANBU, standing in a wide box formation, could be seen up ahead at the walkway's end. Shikamaru approached one of these ninja and waved, standing inside the formation. "Level seven." he said to the ANBU, who nodded in response.

The four shinobi began to form rapid handsigns, ending with a tiger formation. A discharge of chakra echoed off the stone walls, and suddenly, the ground began to form a neat crack, outlining the ANBU's formation. Shikamaru looked at the ground begin to sink, as the cutout of earth and rock he now stood on lowered itself to the next floor, and then further down still, with the various halls of stone that spanned to the far corners of the village passing his sight.

Even though he hated how stuffy the air was in the village, Shikamaru had to admire the craftsmanship used to create it. It was difficult to remember the time in which this was all a jagged, uninhabitable cavern. Were it not for the Rock Village's shinobi and their knowledge of stonecrafting jutsu, they'd all probably be in the woods right now...though sometimes that's what he wanted. It would certainly make it easier to cloud gaze and forget the troubles in life.

The stone platform stopped suddenly, and the ANBU spoke briskly to Shikamaru. "We are now on level seven."

Shikamaru gave a nod and a wave, then walked away with his hand still lazily waving back at the ANBU. Douton element powered elevators. It surprised him how simple this village's mode of transportation was, and sometimes eased his problem with walking. Were this village not divided into so many different levels, he figured there'd be a lot more walking involved, so he was always grateful these ANBU were on elevator duty at various points in the village. It seemed kind of degrading to them though. Once upon a time, they were among the most skilled shinobi in the world...

Walking along the path he had gotten off on, he could hear something that sounded like a woman yelling a little ahead of him, as well as various crashing noises. Sighing, he scratched his head and muttered "What a bother…'wonder what dad did this time."

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"Every single time you're about to go on a damn mission, you always get so lazy, Shikaku! It drives me crazy!" The booming, angry voice of Nara Yoshimo rattled the fine china along the wall, some of the few material heirlooms they had managed to bring from Konoha upon exodus.

"Don't be like that. Every time I have a mission, it's usually a dangerous one, so why can't I just enjoy what might be my last few days alive?" Shikaku knew he shouldn't have said this. Those words would probably give him another scar to go along with the two on the right side of his face. As Yoshimo walked over to the counter and grabbed the bouquet of wildflowers and tossed them out of the vase they were in, his expression became rather fearful. "WHOA WHOA, CAN WE JUST TALK ABOUT THIS?"

"Talk? TALK?" The middle aged woman threw the vase at her husband's head. Being halfway across the room, it was easy for him to duck and dodge it, but when it broke on the wall, he looked back and was a little frightened to see that the stone had a large crack in it from the impact. She was off her rocker this time. "We NEVER talk anymore! Hell, the last time we ever had a talk about anything was when our son won the battle of the Suno Straight, and the only thing you said was 'Well that's great' and then went back to your NAP! Do we even know each other anymore?"

Shikaku was terrified of his wife's outburst at this point, and decided playing along would probably be for the best. "Oh course we do, dear! I-"

"Oh yeah? You liar, I'll bet you don't even know when my birthday is!" she snapped, interrupting him.

The universe seemed to freeze for a moment when he realized he had indeed forgotten his wife's own birthday. What was it again? It was in February, right? Yeah, it had to be. Gaining a new look of confidence, the man replied gently to her. "Honey, you know I could never forget something like that." In situations like these, he felt it best to approach cautiously to show that he was sincere. It was risky; like walking unarmed toward a rabid pack of wolves. The only difference between the two was that the wolves would be more desirable to be at the mercy of.

Still, Yoshimo's hand slowly lowered to her side, along with the frying pan she was getting ready to throw next, and her scowl softened, tears of joy almost forming on her eyes. "You mean you really didn't forget then?"

Shikaku was now within three feet of the 'beast', approaching slowly, arms outstretched. "Honey, you know I would never forget an important date like that. Look, I may be a lot of things, but do you really think I'm forgetful when it comes to you? You have to give me more credit than that. I know your birthday is on the twenty third of February."

For a moment, the air in the room seemed to instantly ignite with the darkest hellfire, and Shikaku's senses flared up fast as he noticed the vein in his wife's forehead pop up. As soon as she raised the frying pan behind her head, his heart began racing. "YOU DOLT! IT'S THE TWENTY FOURTH!" With an amazing Herculean force, Yoshimo chucked the frying pan at him, with his immediate reaction being to backbend beneath it as it whizzed past the very tip of his nose.

Right then, the door opened, and then a metallic impact filled the room, followed by a loud yelp of pain. Shikaku, now in a crab stance, looked toward the doorway to see a familiar someone dressed in black, unconscious on the floor. "What the-HURGGGH!"

The poor middle aged man, his focus having been on the newcomer, never saw the kick to his jewels coming.

Shikamaru had a hard time deciding which was more awkward. The fact that Kankuro had apparently been assaulted by his mother's throwing arm minutes before he arrived, or the fact that he, Kankuro, and his father were all sitting in the living room as his mother served them tea with a forced smile. "Ehe, my apologies again, Kankuro." the black haired woman stuttered, also handing the black-clothed ex-sand nin an ice pack. "I wasn't aiming for you."

Kankuro had a massive lump on his head that was distorting the war-paint on his face, making it look quite silly now. He may as well have walked down to the hospital and entertained children the way he looked now. Shikamaru felt a little bad for the guy - or rather, ANYONE who suffered his mother's wrath. Looking over at his dad, who was wide eyed, twitching, and holding onto his crotch for dear life as Yoshimo handed him his tea, he realized the old man must have said something incredibly foolish to have made her that angry.

"It's not that bad." Kankuro lied through his teeth, trying to be polite. The last thing he wanted to do was feed on to the obvious bi-polar behavior of Shikamaru's mother. "My sister has done worse to me."

Yoshimo nodded at him and then turned to Shikamaru, a concerned look in her eye. "Shikamaru, what's wrong? Is your tea too hot?"

Actually, the tea was just right. Not too sweet, not too bland - just the way he liked it. What wasn't right was him even being here. What was he even doing here? It was only a bother to see his father before going on this suicide mission of his. Now he would have yet another sleepless night.

The teen's glance caught sight of his father, staring into his tea. No longer were his thoughts on his fear of his wife, Shikamaru could tell. The man was thinking to himself. No doubt he was just as aware as Shikamaru was about the dangerous territory he'd be venturing into. The chances of survival were probably playing across his face.

Shikamaru wanted to say something to his father. But what it was, he had no clue. Did he want to ask him not to go? Was it a question of concern for him or anything of that kind? Was that even possible for him? It was never his place to butt into other people's business. And he was certainly never one to visit a person just to wish them luck either.

"Shikamaru, honey? Are you alright?" The concerned voice of his mother brought the teen to his senses.

"Yeah. I'm okay." Shikamaru stood up and turned toward the door. "I'd better get going now."

"But you just got here." said Kankuro, holding an ice pack up to his head now. "Besides, don't you wanna see your dad off? This may be the last time you see him."

The teen turned his head to face Kankuro with a sneer on his face. "I have other stuff I need to do. Mind your own beeswax, Kankuro."

Before Kankuro could retort, Shikaku stood up and walked over to his son, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Shikamaru, he's only saying what's on his mind. Don't get so upset by it. You never used to let things get to you before." With his son's sneer melting into a frown, the man let his arm down and walked back over to his seat. "Besides, I don't care what you decide to do if you don't care what I do. I think it's only fair, so if you want to just walk out, go ahead. I won't hold it against you."

Yoshimo scowled at her husband. "Well maybe YOU'RE alright with it, but I don't get to see my boy enough these days, so I'm not. Shikamaru, sit down and drink your tea."

"I really should get go-"

"DRINK YOUR DAMN TEA!"

His mother's onset of old age had increased her temper to levels he never even dreamed were possible. If he didn't want to lose a usable limb, right now, sitting down would probably be best. One look at his father - who had his eye at the corner, keeping track of the skillet in the woman's hand - confirmed that he should do as she asked. Without another word, he sat down and began to sip at the tea, not caring much for it at this point.

The next few minutes were silent ones. Then again, life with his folks always seemed to run this way. His mother and father seemed to prefer it, and Shikamaru supposed he did too. After all, silent time was good for thinking.

* * *

"Hm...so the Thirteenth platoon is ready for deployment." Jiraiya took his smoldering pipe out of his mouth and leaned back in his seat, still reading a stack of documents he held in his hand, waiting for confirmation from the masked man at the other side of his desk.

"That is what I have been told." replied the man. "Shikaku and his team wish to get the mission over with as soon as possible, so they plan to depart within the hour."

Jiraiya puffed out a plume of smoke that rose into the air, some trapped within his bewildered white hair. His slightly wrinkled complexion was forming a scowl at the man, his gaze aiming just past the documents. "They did? And you're certain the Iwa faction didn't give them the orders to move out early and claim they were from me?"

The man took his mask off slowly, and spoke in an almost forced sincere tone to the Hokage. "Jiraiya-sama, do you still see reason to distrust myself and the Iwa faction? I realize we were responsible for a few…miscommunications in past endeavors, but I assure you that they were all accidents. The Iwa nin want the same thing as Konohagakure, Sunogakure, and all others."

The elderly man grunted and resumed reading his stack of papers. "Very well, Toriyama. But don't act as if you haven't manipulated my forces before. You have command over your forces through myself and the other Kages as well - this is not a solo effort." he said in a gruff tone, with a hint of spite towards the man.

Ever since Hakumei Village was founded by the survivors of the five great shinobi villages, many threw aside their differences in order to solidify their union and create a more powerful army against Akatsuki's forces. However, few accepted to ignore history so easily, especially when prior to the union, Iwagakure's own forces decimated an eighth of Konoha's own survivors.

Jiraiya, who had been born and raised throughout the years of Konoha and Iwagakure's many hostilities, found it especially difficult to trust the Iwa shinobi even after the union. And after discovering that the Iwa faction was altering the course of his orders recently, his eye had been upon their young leader like a hawk.

Toriyama Akaseitoka - In the absence of the Tsuchikage, this man was the only remaining shinobi in his village with a balance of power and leadership, serving now as one of the leading council among the Kages. Even though he was the cause of the Iwa nin siding with Hakumei, he requested the Iwagakure survivors be segregated in a different section of the village in return for their union. It always struck Jiraiya as a suspicious request, and didn't help his bitterness even the slightest.

For the sake of the union, the request was honored, and Iwagakure remained the only village whose surviving citizens were not integrated with the rest of Hakumei. He never understood why their own leader would want them segregated, and he supposed he never would. All he knew was that since then, countless miscommunications had happened due to a misrelay of information coming from the Iwa nin. He suspected Toriyama was trying to run the show on his own, but never had enough proof to use against the younger ninja.

Toriyama leaned in towards the leader of Hakumei, placing a large hand on the table. His stern, lion-built face gave a glare to the white haired ninja. Jiraiya looked up at him again, finding it difficult to seek his eyes in the shadow casted by the man's red mane-like hair. "One more thing. About this platoon you are sending in to scout Sunogakure's ruins. As experienced as they all are, Akatsuki has placed two generals at the ruins whom we have little information about, and you want to sacrifice such useful tools just to gather information?"

Jiraiya sighed and placed the papers on his desk, right next to an overturned picture. "You aren't the only one who has been keeping secrets and working behind people's backs, Toriyama. The scouting in that matter is already done and over with, and the information has been gathered. The team we are sending in to Suno is not just a scouting platoon to assess the battlefront for that night." His eyes sharpened. "It's an assassination squad."

Toriyama grinned momentarily, though with a venomous streak to it. "Sneaky of you, you hypocrite. But I have to ask, in this turn of events...who are they up against? Anyone I should know about?"

Jiraiya stayed silent for a moment, taking another puff from his pipe. "Sasori of the Red Sand, S-Ranked criminal of the old world, and Akatsuki's fifth in command from what I have gathered. He is a master of Sunogakure's ancient puppet manipulation techniques, which is why we have sent our resident expert on puppet manipulation on this squad, as well as others assembled to divide him from his puppets and cut off support. The section of the squad consists of Kanbatsu Kankuro from Suno, and Nara Shikaku from Konoha. Accompanying them will be two Mist Nin, Shouga Inara, and Tanketsu Kougari, though their role will be less than the others, merely to divert the attention of the second foe till the first is dealt with. The second general is someone whom I think you should know very well." Jiraiya reached for one of the desk drawers and pulled out a yellow envelope, tossing it to Toriyama. The Iwa nin opened it, and took a look at the top of the report. His eyes widened for a moment.

"This is..."

"Bakugeki Deidara, formally one of Iwagakure's most powerful shinobi. When we discovered that he was what we were up against, we sent our ANBU to fetch some of the reports we knew you were hiding from us, this being among them. If we didn't we may not have been able to assemble a team well enough." A smile cracked on the old man's face. The man mentioned hypocrite. That was fine. At least he wasn't withholding information that needed to be known.

Toriyama began to scowl, his face becoming quite angry. "You had no right. These documents were hidden for good reason, and-"

"Oh? Tell me then, what was the reason? I'd enjoy hearing it now." Jiraiya's tone had become a mocking one now, his disdain for the political figurehead of Iwa showing up in plain sight.

Toriyama tossed the envelope back at him and placed his mask back on, turning himself towards the door. "The Iwa and Konoha nin still hold a loathing for one another that has become generations old. I wonder if your hostilities and distrust towards our ways, regardless of how direct, brash, and cruel you see them, will be our undoing. But regardless...I will say this. Any team you send against Deidara will perish. The man is insane."

Jiraiya waved the report above his head lazily. "A flamboyant-looking pretty boy with a fetish for clay sculptures that explode. Yeah, we'll take your word for it, Toriyama. I'm sure ALL your elite shinobi are a threat that just can't be defeated. Better go make a few command changes behind my back before I get my men killed!"

"How did a man as foolish as you ever become one of our leaders?" he said before storming out the door.

"Pfft. That man has no reasoning."

The door opened again just as soon as it had shut from Toriyama's departure. In walked a young blond woman, with a chest length ponytail, which she promptly flicked behind her head as she entered. Her emerald eyes fixed a stern gaze upon the Hakumei leader. "With all due respect, you don't exactly have much more reasoning yourself."

Jiraiya promptly tapped the contents of his pipe into the ash tray on his desk. "Oh, Temari. I wasn't expecting you for about another five or so minutes."

She stopped right in front of his desk. "I thought the request specifically stated I wanted to speak with you at eight thirty PM, didn't it? Can you even find things on this table?" She indicated the massive cluster of random documents and useless papers that adourned the leader's desk.

As she reached for the stack Jiraiya was handling earlier during his argument with the Iwa nin, the man's complexion froze in fear. "Agh agh um that-! That's not what you think it is, that's-"

As the Suno kunoichi searched through the stack, mumbling about how the old man was losing everything, Jiraiya noticed a vein pulsating in her forehead once she reached 'that' page. "Honestly, Jiraiya-sama..." she muttered evily, holding out the centerfold of a nude magazine he had stashed away in the stack. As the page fell to the ground, he folded his hands together and bowed his head.

"L-look, in my spare time it gets really boring in here. Please don't tell anyone else about this, it'll seriously mess up my image among the people!"

"...now this is just a little pathetic." Temari stated, sighing and tossing the magazine at the perverted old man. "I'm nothing more than an assistant, and yet here's one of the big bad heads of Hakumei begging me to keep my mouth shut. You know you can just order it, right?"

Jiraiya threw his hands behind his head and scratched it, laughing heartily at her witty remark. "Well I'm not a cruel taskmaster, you know that. It's not my style to boss lovely ladies around." Her lack of flawless respect for authority, and ability to be brash even with superiors was a trait that always amused Jiraiya. It reflected her brutality as a shinobi, and often times cleared up any doubts people had about her ability. Strange, though, how pre-wartime, she was reported to be the most obedient of all Sand Shinobi, almost labeled as a pure tool of the Sand. Apparently something had happened over these long six years of turmoil and fighting that caused her to grasp control of her free will. Though many in Hakumei saw this as an unbecoming trait in a shinobi, especially a kunoichi of her ranking, Jiraiya felt that part about her was what made her an amazing ninja, and it saddened him a bit when she requested to work off the field a few months back.

"In any case, let's just get down to business." Jiraiya cleared his throat and rested his hands together on the table. "What did you want to talk to me about? I hope you remembered that we already cleared up the matter of you and the assassination mission."

Temari waved her hand in front of her face. "Right, right, 'you just don't have the technique makeup we need to make the assault a success', I understood the first time…sir. It's not about that." She placed her hands on her hips and took a step back. "I want to read over the detailed report of the battle for Suno Straight."

One of Jiraiya's snow white eyebrows rose. "And you need to ask me for that? You're one of my advisors, Temari. You have access to just about everything we've got in this mountain."

She placed a hand on the black sleeve of her kimono and turned away a bit. "I know, but...there's got to be something in the secret files on that battle, doesn't there? I mean, I've been looking everywhere for something in particular about that battle, and I can't find what it is."

Jiraiya took a deep breath and sighed. "There was nothing secret about that mission. One hundred and eighteen of our finest chuunin tricked the enemy forces hidden throughout the straight out of hiding thanks to Shikamaru's plan, and we engaged them and severed both their main defense forces and cut off one of their oceanic supply routes."

"I know, but isn't there anything else in there that would...oh forget it, what am I trying to do here anyway?" She turned her back to the old man and started for the door. "I'm sorry to bother you, Jiraiya-sama. I'll let you get back to your pornography or whatever you plan to do now."

"Hold on a minute." He held his hand out, gesturing for the girl to stop. When she turned around to face him again, he cracked a smile. "I get what you're trying to do." For a moment, his words halted the girl, though she did not face Jiraya. "You want Shikamaru to stop having an excuse to sit on his bum all day, am I right?"

She grinded her teeth a bit, but nodded.

"Well let me just tell you then...you don't need to. The kid's hopelessly unmotivated, but he's bright. He had a crushing blow a few months back. It's tragic, but all young leaders end up facing loss like he did."

The elderly man leaned back in his chair. "Not that I've been desensitized to things like that. I know the pain he's going through But he'll find his way eventually on his own."

Temari lowered her head and turned away again. "Maybe. But then again, you weren't there to see him crying like a child right after his friends died. He's still got a bit of maturing to do before he can make these choices on his own. Excuse me, Jiraiya-sama."

That said, she left the room, not another word coming from either of them. Jiraiya picked his pipe back up and reached for the tobacco in his pocket. "Girl has some spunk. She'd be a great asset out on the battlefield. Well...maybe one day the both of them will be back on the front again. Who knows?" The old man took a puff from his pipe. "Maybe they'll be the ones to end this war."

As silence once more enveloped his office, Jiraiya began to read over his documents once more, the dirty magazine dropping to the floor. Reluctantly, he pushed it aside with a groan.

"Well, no time for that now. As the sun rises on a new day...Hakumei will emerge victorious by the time it sets."

~ End Chapter

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Author's Note:

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This chapter was a pain in the neck to upload on , lemme just say. Kept erasing lines and mixing/matching other lines for some reason when I copied it over. :\ I don't recall the formatting being so tricky back when I used to submit things here a few years back. Oh well.

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SO...we find that Shikamaru's 'failure' wasn't truly a 'failure', but a success, in spite of casualties. So why is it that he beats himself up over i-oh yeah, his best buds in the whole wide world died. That...would about do it, wouldn't it? Never the less, his pops is about to take over his job, and is going to no-mans land to have a showdown with the Akatsheriffs. :P

About Toriyama, some may be wondering what happened to the old Tsuchikage. My answer? Dude was so old he looked like he was going to keel over in every scene of the manga. I really doubt six years of constant stress would be good for him. The reason none of the other two nin who accompanied him to the summit were the new Tsuchikage is due to the fact that they didn't strike me as the leader types. There IS the girly one, who hinted at wanting to take his job over, but again, didn't have that vibe. So I made an OC.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________Have no fear though, people. The role of Tsuchikage plays only a political part in most of the story, as of such, very little focus will be upon this OC. He's an anchor - not a taboo. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________As always, please read and review. If I made any mistakes, please let me know - and keep in mind, something may be screwy because of the error I was having with . If you find anything wrong, you'd be doing me a great favor letting me know. See you in two weeks with the first action chapter of the series!_

EDIT: Three failed upload attempts later, I'm starting to think really hates me.


	4. Chapter Three: War is Hell

_When you love someone, sometimes you lose your mind trying to make sure the love stays there. When that happens, you forget to be yourself, to be the person whom your other cheerishes. You become selfish, hogging the love all to yourself. Love is not a lone emotion - never treat it as such._

~ Nara Yoshino

* * *

Sometimes, when he wasn't sleeping or enjoying the rarity of a quiet afternoon, the thought of how fast time seemed to fly by would float to the top of his head. It seemed only a short time ago, he had met Inochi and Chouza for the very first time. Even shorter ago than that, he had become a chuunin, and met Yoshino, his wife of almost twenty years, during the final round of the chuunin exams. It was hard to believe that his own son, Shikamaru, was growing up so fast - despite his recent struggles. Through his life, Shikaku had seen and experienced many joys. As with all good things, however, tragedy always seemed to rear its ugly head.

The attack upon Konoha, the loss of the Nara Clan home, and his two best friends losing their children to the war. All of these events made Shikaku grateful for time moving quickly. As time heals all wounds, the sadness and sorrow he felt had mellowed, and he could again resume the laid back attitude he once had, treating every day and every mission as a small inconvenience that would only delay what he loved doing most; enjoying his life.

Sometimes, though, the inconveniences were far from minor. Especially in these times, when he was called into action far more than he was back in the old days. There was little time to drink the tea his pushy wife had made for him - an inconvenience that was more of a health hazard these days. There was little time to speak to his son. And there was little time for farewells.

In spite of their skirmish, before he had boarded the ship that was carrying the new fleet, Yoshimo had begged him at the last minute not to leave. Eyes tearing up, the only thing he could do to calm her down was embrace her in a loving hug - one that lasted for several minutes more than what he was pressed for. He didn t want to leave either, but it was his duty and he could not escape it, regardless of how much he wanted. It was painful, for the first time in years, to let go of his wife. Perhaps it was because in spite of the arguments and yelling, he remembered the reason he had fallen for Yoshimo in the first place. There were times when she could be the most caring person in the world. And with that rare side of her showing now, it was even harder to keep away his remorse.

War was like this, though. Even when he was a child, and the last Great War had ended, he recognized the pains of separation. Loss. Hopelessness. Dread. They weren t emotions he liked to brood about, but when the ship he was on had parted from the dock, all he could think about while staring at his sobbing wife was...

_**"Will I ever make it home?"**_

As with most of the turmoil he had experienced in his life, he trusted it would roll off his shoulders prior to their mission. Three days later, and a mere hour before the plan to draw out Akatsukis' generals, Shikaku's feelings were still there. Resting on the makeshift hammock in the watchtower that overlooked the Suno Mountain rage, all he could do was think about how poorly the short time he had was spent, and how he would have to make it home alive.

The skies were dark with storm clouds long before the sun had set, and the watchtowers built along the mountainside had been illuminated with torches, though the lights were dimmed to prevent the enemy from spotting their activity. Almost a thousand feet below the ridge, the harsh sands of the desert awaited Hakumeis' forces, along with Akatsuki s own shinobi that lay in wait.

The plan seemed simple enough. The enemy only had around a hundred ninja all around the boarders of the country, and in decimating their border forces and taking residence in their lookouts, their defense forces from their central headquarters in the region would be the only ones able to stage a counterattack. Due to that, the generals themselves would have to show up this time, since their defenses were still too small to counter Hakumei s. Once the generals show themselves, the assassination team would work together to bring them down once and for all.

The plan was good, but then again, he knew it would be. Since his sudden rise to the rank of Hokage after the Thirds' death years ago, the man had proven himself a respectable and well thought out leader. He would never dream to question the man, and trusted his words when he told Shikaku the chances of everyone returning alive would be good. Maybe there wasn t much of a reason to worry after all.

**"It's a pain in the ass, but I guess someone has to get it done."** he mumbled, grunting and rising out of the hammock. Scratching the back of his head, the man looked off the side of the tower. Even from the mountainside tower, he could see the last bit of light vanish from the shifting sands hundreds of feet below. Nightfall had come, and the storm that was brewing up had bulked en masse. Knowing that over a hundred enemies lay in wait below, some probably even scouting the mountain, it seemed like an opportune moment to land a devastating initial strike. After all, Hakumei had the high ground this time around.

**"Oi, Shikaku!"** came a burly voice from the stairs. Chouza clomped into the room, and looked at his friend. **"You actually set up a hammock? How come you didn t bring me one?"**

Shikaku smirked and got up, pulling the hammock off of the roof support pillars. **"No offense, Chouza, but did you honestly think I have a hammock large enough to support you?"**

Chouza scratched his chin. **"You might be on to something there, but you don't need to be so darn harsh about it. Anyway, Inochi told me to get you. They re about to start briefing the battle to the troops here."**

**"We already know the battle plan, Chouza. Why would we need to go over another briefing?"**

Chouzas' face became grim. **"That s the problem. We need to rework that plan. Kougari and Tanketsu went AWOL on us."**

Shikaku clenched his fists in anger. It looked like the chances of survival...just may have wavered.

* * *

It was never his style to have long goodbyes. So why was it eating at him so much? Laying down in his bed, all he could think about was how silent their last meeting was. His mother was the only one talking, and yet no one even replied to her. The most he did when leaving their domicile was briefly wave, and nothing more. If he had stayed any longer though, it would have been more regrettable. Half of him was considering asking his father to find a replacement. Another half was considering to offer himself as a replacement on this mission. Shikamaru didn t feel that he could stop either thought from coming to mouth, so leaving was the best idea he could come up with.

He did what was best. Why was he so bent out of shape about it? Still, his eyes were plastered to the mattress of his bed, and his mind was anywhere but his room. These thoughts and fears, of which never used to bother him, were starting to get out of hand. He had to find a way to ease his mind.

**KNOCK KNOCK.**

Grunting, Shikamaru spoke loudly through his pillow. **"It s unlocked. Just come in."**

His door creaked open, and someone light-footedly walked in, flipping the light switch on. He could hear them walking across the room toward where he was, and while better judgment was telling him to look up at who it was, he didn t feel like moving from where he was. **"Pft...lazy oaf." **It was a woman. A really bossy one at that, and she was opening the blinds now - signalling his retreat back into his pillow face shelter. **"Don t you do anything important while you re not on sentry duty? Like, I don't know****, train and hone the skills you worked so hard to maintain?"**

**"Who let you in here, Temari?"** he muffled through his pillow.

**"You did, stupid."** She reached for the boy s ponytail and yanked on it.

**"Ack!"** He jerked around and sat up suddenly, slapping her hands of his head. **"Why'd you go and do that, crazy woman?"**

The blond woman flashed a toothy smile and laughed. **"It's what you get. You know what they say about laziness, Shikamaru. It'll send you straight to hell."**

Shikamaru rolled his eyes and laid right back down. **"Great, someplace warm to sleep. See you there then."**

Temari grinded her teeth and reached down for the edge of the mattress, pulling it up with all her might, flipping it - and the lazy teen - over on the floor. A loud thud rattled the walls, and she pulled the mattress off. Shikamaru was upside down, hands on the bare ground, tapping across the floor. **"What's your problem?"** he asked angrily.

She snapped her fingers at him then extended her hand. **"Get up and come with me. I have something I want to talk to you about. We'll grab a bite to eat while we're at it."**

Perfect. She was in another one of those bossy moods he had come to recognize. Grumbling, the teen flipped himself over and lazily got up off the floor, hands in his pockets. **"Fine, fine, but you re buying."** It would be the least she could have done for barging in like this. Then again, he DID let her in.

**"Fine. But you'd better eat it. I don t like my hard earned money going to waste."**Betrayal was the first thing that came to Shikakus' mind when he heard what Chouza had said. Upon his descent into the mountain cavern that served as access points to the tower, he soon learned of the situation at hand. The two shinobi who comprised of the second assassination team had been spotted leaving the division and into enemy territory. He wanted to say he was surprised, but in this war, cowards and traitors are what made the enemy. It had been like this since the invasion of the villages, where even some of Konohas' own betrayed their homeland.

* * *

The room was dimly lit, but he could see the expressions of uncertainty on the many faces. Inochi, Chouza, and the many shinobi who had come here to fight for the freedom of the shinobi world, stood there in silence, uncertain of what course of action to take.

**"I thought something was off about them on our way here."** said Inochi, arms folded and head bowed. **"They were too silent and cautious about everything we did, as though they had to pay close attention to our every move. No doubt they've gone over to the enemy with information as an offering."**

Chouza cracked his knuckles and bellowed loudly. **"Rotten little jerks. And to think I actually offered one of them the extra dango I was having for lunch yesterday."**

Shikaku took a deep breath. **"So what s the plan then? With two crucial members missing from the elimination team, we can't take out their leaders. We just gonna send a message to the village and tell them about the situation?"**

Inochi shook his head. **"No, I'm afraid there's not enough time to wait for a response. The enemy is on the move down there, and if we don t make one soon enough, we'll lose our foothold in these mountains. In addition, if we don't kill them tonight, those two might reveal the location of Hakumei's headquarters - which in turn, would eliminate any chances of winning this war."**

The location of Arashi Island was the only thing at the moment that kept Akatsuki's forces from wiping out the remnants of the Hidden Villages once and for all - an uncompromisable piece of information that would result in a devestating loss. **"What do you suggest then?"** Shikaku asked. He wanted him to say retreat, perhaps even to warn Arashi Island of the potential threat and preparing for a full scale invasion. But that was out of the question. Even he, who wanted to go home to his wife more than anything, wouldn t stand for everything they've worked hard for being dropped so suddenly - especially for such a gamble. Duty was harsh like that, and it was a virtue he had wanted his son to aspire to. If he would support a retreat now, he wouldn t be able to look Shikamaru in the eye.

The room fell silent again, with only the howling winds of the storm outside filling the air. Inochi squinted, hand to his temple, as he tried to contemplate the best course of action. **"I'm...not sure. If we had a way to reach Jiraiya fast enough and consult him on the matter, I'd feel a bit better about all this. But I think we're in a rut now."**

**"We go with the plan then."** Heads turned toward Shikaku who had said this, bewildered and inspired faces sweeping across the room. **"We're not going home until the Akatsuki units in this region are without a head. Their leaders will die tonight, just like we planned. We just need a new element of surprise is all. All we have to do is use the fact that they probably know our plan against them by expecting them to retaliate. What was the plans' main weakness before?"**

Chouza raised his hand, though he figured it wasn't needed when he saw Inochi roll his eyes. **"Well, since the object was for our ninja to engage theirs in battle and flush out the leaders, and for the assassination team to only appear once they showed up, wouldn't the only weakness be for them to find our team first?"**

Shikaku nodded. **"Right, so we can expect that they'll conceal themselves and look for us among our troops. All we have to do is trick them into making the first move so we can still get the jump on them."**

**"Yeah, but how do you think we'll do that?"** asked Inochi, rubbing his forehead as he strained his mind to come up with a solution. After a moment had past, he jerked his eyes open and shouted **"Kankuro!"**

The black hooded shinobi stepped into the dim light, smirking as he sensed his moment of truth. **"You rang?"**

Inochi nodded, and his two friends glanced over at him, wondering what plan he had up his sleeve. **"Yes, and it's something right in your field of expertise. Up to the task?"**

The teen grinned with great anticipation**."Heh. Just tell me what it is, and I'll show you just how much I shine."**Back in the tranquil home of the Naras, Yoshimo was at work on the dishes she had used that day. Sighing at her lone reflection in the sink water, she thought back to the painful farewell she had to endure. She never even got to apologize for kicking him the other day, or throwing the skillet at him.

* * *

**"I guess after that outburst, I deserve the two men in my life to leave me." **Yoshino sighed, reaching into the water and picking up a dish. **"Whenever Shikaku gets back, I need to fix him his favorite meal to apologize. I really do need to control my temper, even if he was being lazy. Oh-"**

The plate in her hands began to crack. Huffing, she placed it on the counter beside her. **"Shoot. That was the only dish from our wedding set left."**

A knocking could be heard from the door, and Yoshimo briefly replied with **"I'll be there in a minute!"** Scurrying away from the kitchen, the black haired woman approached the door and opened it slightly, peeking through the crack to see who it was before swinging it wide open. **"O-oh! Good evening!"**

Standing in her doorway, long white ponytail, red robes and all, was none other than the former Hokage himself. She was a little bewildered as to why he would be here. He rose a hand up and greeted her politely. **"Sorry to bother you like this, Yoshino, but can I come in?"**

Yoshino nodded nervously. **"Of course! Um...I ll go put on some tea, please have a seat, Hokage-sama-er, I mean-"**

Jiraiya scratched his head. "**You can just call me by my name, it s really not that big of a deal. Not like this position gives me any fancy titles I like anyway."**

Yoshimo simply nodded again and scampered back over to the kitchen, a little disoriented. Why on earth would one of the leaders of Hakumei want to speak to her? Was it about the mission? Did he have some sort of bad news to deliver? From the boiling of the water to the pouring of the tea, thoughts swarmed in her mind and made her shake a little. Even Jiraiya noticed as she handed him a clattering tea cup. **"You all right? You look a bit off today."** the man asked, taking a sip of tea and sitting down on the couch.

Yoshino had a bead of sweat running down her forehead that she promptly wiped with her arm, and she forced a smile at the man.** "Nothing is wrong at all. I m just a little tired maybe."** She just stood there in silence for a moment, and didn t move until Jiraiya gestured at the chair nearest to her. Finally seated, she leaned in and asked **"So...um...Jiraiya-sama, if you don t mind me asking, why are you here?"**

The elderly man placed his tea cup on the coffee table and folded his arms.** "Well, this was actually a request from Shikaku that I check up on you after he had left. He asked me the day I gave him this mission, and I agreed, so here I am. I'm a little unsure of what to do, truth be told."** He paused for a moment, looking around the room. The apartments in the village were so much smaller than the ones Konoha had. It pained him a bit to see how the citizens he was sworn to protect were living such a cramped lifestyle. **"Perhaps he just wanted to make sure you weren t constantly alone while he was gone."**

Yoshino bowed her head and stared into her tea. **"Shikaku's a good man. It sounds just like him. I guess he couldn t get our son to check up on me though. Oh-"** She looked up and smiled nervously. **"Not that I don t appreciate you being here, sir, I thank you very much for coming here. I know how busy you are, and I m grateful."**

Jiraiya waved off and sipped from his tea again. **"Busy? To be honest, this job is not only boring, but it doesn t consume as much of my time as people think it should. Whenever I'm caught up on paperwork and a battlefront is set, I have nothing but time until reports come in. It makes me uneasy."**

**"Shouldn t you be spending your time writing another one of your novels?"** she asked, snickering.

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow.** "Wait, wait...you read my Icha Icha books?"**

She reached under the coffee table and pulled out a red book with a cover depicting a woman tossing something at a man. **"I started with this one since it reminded me so much of my relationship with my husband. It's a good book."**

Jiraiya sighed in relief. The moment she pulled the book out, he thought she was about to smack him upside the head with it and call him a pervert, but from the looks of it, she was a fan. A bit of a surprise, really. **"Well it's always nice to see a fan of my work. I thought with all that's been going on these past few years, everyone had better things to do than to read my novels."**

Yoshino placed the book down on the coffee table.** "We had the other one. I think it was called Icha Icha Paradise? It was among the many things we left behind when Konoha was evacuated."**

Jiraiya nodded. **"It's fine. I m sure there s another copy around somewhere I can find for you. The only one I can think off the top of my head though is Kakashi's, and I don t feel like taking it from his bedside, just in case he ever breaks out of that coma."**

Yoshimo sipped from her cup. **"So he and the Uchiha kid are still comatose? That s terrible. If we could have gotten a ninja as great as Kakashi was back on the field, we just might have ended this war sooner. And there's still nothing we can do?"**

Jiraiya shook his head. **"We have the best medical nin from all five of the great shinobi villages all here, and so far, all of them have tried. Nothing is working. The coma was caused by a massive genjutsu, and the influence was apparently left strong in their consciousness. None of our medical nin can dispel it alone, and combining their efforts in a mass dispel attempt might cause fatal brain damage. It's a delicate situation, and frankly, I think there s only a few people alive that have the skills needed to release the genjutsu on them. They ve remained in their coma for almost six years now."**

**"What kind of genjutsu could have that much power behind it, I wonder..."**

Jiraiya paused for a moment, setting his teacup back on the table.** "The Uchiha kids' older brother, Itachi Uchiha. He s one of the most wanted men in the world even now, and among Akatsuki s highest ranking ninja."**

**"I see."** She began to grasp her teacup firmly. **"These Akatsuki people...their armies are bad enough, but their overseers are insanely powerful ninja from what I hear. And Shikaku..."**

Jiraiya stood up and walked over to her, placing a hand on her shoulder.** "Look, Yoshino. I ve known your husband since he was a genin. He's smart, and he s got one hell of a sense of duty. I know that he'll-"**

**"That sense of duty is probably going to cost him his life." **she said, fighting back tears and choking up. **"Because of his sense of duty , he'd throw his life away saying it was for the greater good, without even thinking twice about the consequences it would have."**

Jiraiya shook his head and took his hand off her shoulder. **"I was actually referring to his sense of duty to the ones he loves."** She looked up at the man, who was smiling cheerily. **"Just have faith. He'll do everything he can to stay alive and make it back to you. I give my word as a leader of Hakumei that I wouldn t have sent him on a mission he couldn t fulfill."**

The sincerity in the mans' eyes struck her, and she calmed down enough to nod at him. **"I guess you're right. I'm sorry for doubting the both of you."**

Jiraiya nodded in response and turned towards the door. **"Anyway, I need to get back and check up on the mission progress if any. Plus, there's that meeting between the Village division leaders I have in about an hour, so I need to gather my reports up for that. Thank you for the tea - it was delicious." **He walked toward the door and reached for the handle, then looked back at her. **"And don t worry about a thing."**

**"Right, Jiraiya-sama. And please, feel free to stop by any time. I kind of needed the company, to be honest."**

Jiraiya smirked. No matter what, he always seemed to swell with pride when he could lift someone s spirits. However, something out of the corner of his eye made his expression change to a more concerned one. He noticed a fancy plate on the counter across the room with cracks on it.** "Is that plate over there broken?"**

Yoshino turned around. **"Oh...yeah. It cracked in my hands while I was washing it. It must have broken because the water was too hot. A real shame, too, since that was the last dish from the wedding set Shikaku and I managed to save." **She sighed heavily.** "It was our favorite one, too. We'd sometimes get into an argument over who got to eat off of it."**

Some would look at the dish and say it was an accident and nothing more. But Jiraiya was always a little suspicious of things. He had just told Yoshimo to have faith in Shikaku, but was there something he overlooked?

_~ End Chapter_

* * *

**Author's Note:** Time for an explaination as to why the chapter was 'unrefined' the first time around. You see, for the past two weeks, my computer has been in the shop from a virus attack, along with my edits and such on this chapter. I've been unable to access my work until the night of the update, and to add insult to injury, my net service was going to be cut off midnight that same night. I just got it back this afternoon, so here come the edits.

Not...much needed to be edited. Just my usual fumble with Yoshino's name.

In this chapter, much of the perspective is from Shikamaru's father, who is leading the assault that will either make or ruin Hakumei's chances at winning the war. With two traitors having jeaprodized the mission, Shikaku has his work cut out for him in making the assault a success. Even throughout this chaos, his heart is still with his family, his thoughts split between the task and whether or not he'll see them again.

I find that war does this to people. Worries and doubts associated with even the simplest of missions can cause any soldier to become lost in them, no matter how grand or even how small. The defining difference between a soldier and a civilian, however, seems to be that if you allow yourself to be consumed and held back by your worries instead of doing what you must, it can lead to your end. Shikaku is not allowing his fears to consume him - rather, he is using them as a drive. This resolve is something that will be expressed fairly often in this story, and I believe it to be one of the most important lessons someone can learn.

As always, please read and review. I do love critique, even discussion about what my future plans with the story are. Any thoughts you might have, please share - a writer always benefits from the human aspect of the ordeal, after all.

**Disclaimer: **See these characters in this fanfiction? You wanna know who made the characters in this fanfiction? You don wanna know who made the characters in this fanfiction. Wanna know why you don wanna know who made the characters in this fanfiction?

'cuz you already know. They all belong to Masashi Kishimoto - NOT ME!


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